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Verandon
Verandon is one of the ancient Jade Kingdoms in the Realm of Ghyran. Formerly a sprawling empire that consisted of many city-states and households, it was reduced to rubble and infighting after centuries of erosion by Nurgle's forces. All that remains of the formerly mighty kingdom are the ruins of a dozen city-states that have become overgrown and reclaimed by the wyldwoods. The Kingdom Government The rulership of Verandon was a mixture of republic and monarchy, with the namesake royal family, House Verandon, handling most of the actions of rulership from the Emerald Citadel, but an elector-council of other household leaders providing advisory roles to the crown and ruling their own sections of the kingdom. Each major household was awarded its own capital, lands, and titles as long as they owed fealty to the royal household, and each were allowed their own standing militaries and militia. Religion The royal household of Verandon paid the heaviest respect to Alarielle and maintained the respect and love of their goddess and many major households followed their example. Worship of Sigmar and a dozen other minor deities also littered their pantheons with regional worship varying. Magic The Green Wind of Life found itself particularly strong in the region as it flowed along the valleys and peaks that made up the greater kingdom. Many druids and alchemists spent their lives studying the impact of the wind upon the lands, and tried to predict its ebbs and flows. Its believed the wind's strength is part of what led Nurgle to incorrectly believe that the people of Verandon knew Alarielle's whereabouts. An ancient realmgate also provided trade and cultural influences from Azyrheim, with the bleed of celestial magic from that realm having a noticeable effect on the region's flora and fauna. This gate was inevitably closed when Sigmar withdrew from the realms following his defeat at All-Points. History Downfall The downfall of Verandon was primarily the orchestration of Nurgle and his followers as their crusade into Ghyran wore on. The first waves were emissaries, promising gifts of the plaguefather to the Electors. Though the vast majority turned down his offers with blade and could see the taint of Chaos that lie behind them, a few lesser households saw the opportunity to find immortality or advance their power among the council and became his agents. Those that denied his gifts met blade with rusted blade for nearly a century upon the fields and forests of Ghyran. Nurgle mistakenly believed that House Verandon's rulership had vital information to the whereabouts of Alarielle, and coveted their potential knowledge and pristine lands and was willing to throw tide upon tide against the cities of Verandon. Between the actions of Clan Pestilens, the warlord Fulgren Blightheart, a dozen Plague Princes, and Nurgle-aligned rebels, the majority of the households fell or surrendered to Chaos as their goddess and various other gods abandoned them. The coup-de-grace was the assassination of Tyrek Verandon by a courtier, the young king Tyrek was without heir, and the power vacuum created by infighting between the elector council prevented the kingdom from rallying to defend itself and Nurgle's forces easily overwhelmed the capital. Present Day All that remains of the shining scepter that was Verandon is a series of overgrown ruins throughout Ghyran. Many of the Emerald Canticle Stormhost were drawn from the peoples of Verandon and find an unnatural draw to the ruins. The former crown jewel and capital of Verandon has become the fortress of the Emerald Canticle known as the Emerald Citadel. Its realmgate to Azyr has become a lifeline for reinforcements into the realm now that it has been reignited. Many in the Stormhost believe that Sigmar holds a certain guilt over the fate of Verandon, especially those in the Jade Council that hold the strongest portions of Sigmar's divine power and have an innate touch of his emotions built into them. An unnatural melancholy hangs over many of the Lord-Celestants, especially the Lord-Commander, when they wander the lands of their former lives, though it is quickly forged into anger and vengeful strength that is thrown against their foes.